Who Said Shadows Were Harmless?
by MPHknows
Summary: Iggy Griffiths and Maximum Ride are two FBI agents notorious for taking down confusing cases. What happens when they get a case that involves some desperate shadows, and unknown kingdom, and an inevitable war? Fax & Liggy
1. Prologue

**Who Said Shadows Were Harmless?**

Prologue

"_WHERE IS IT?" She screamed in his face, a growl mixing in with her voice. She tightened her fingerless-leather-gloved hands around his throat and shook him once more._

_The light was fading from his vision, everything turning upside down. Why did he have to agree to this? Why did he have to be one of the Protectors? Even though he knew what was coming, he continued his duties anyway. "I will tell you nothing," he spat back into her face._

_She growled again but let him go, throwing him to the shadowed floor and backing out of the sunlight peering through the window. Her beast like wolfish eyes glared out of the darkness at him as she gestured for her partner to do something._

_The man looked up as the boy in his early twenties, around the same age as the girl, came closer to him. He seemed to be part of the shadows himself, and the man knew that was true. The boy scrutinized him with his obsidian eyes, waiting until the girl gave him the word. _

_She looked at the man one last time, then met eyes with her partner. The man jumped as she shouted something in an unknown language. She turned back to the office door, her straight waist length dirty blond hair flowing out before resting perfectly on her back again. _

_A loud growl pulled the mans attention away from the girl and back to the black haired boy in front of him. Or, at least, it had been a boy. The man watched as the boy changed into a horrific beast that showed his fears._

_Then he let out a soon-silenced shriek as the beast launched itself at him._

_Before the inevitable happened, he remember the main rule he had heard about these creatures- Never let them trick you into the shadows._


	2. Chapter One

**Who Said Shadows Were Harmless?**

Chapter One

Max's POV

I sat at the desk across from my partner, holding the plain folder in my hands. "What's the case now?" Iggy asked, cracking his knuckles and sitting forward in his chair. "Kidnappings? Murders?"

I opened the files and laid out the three sets of papers stapled together. One showed a picture of a young teenage girl, another of an old over-eighty man, and the last of a twenty two year old guy. "They're all murders, supposedly linked." I began to read each one individually, handing them to Iggy when I finished. First was the girl.

Name: Angie Sanders

Gender: Female

Age: Fourteen

Cause of Death: Multiple gouges on body, arm torn off, died of blood loss

Venue: Alleyway between Carson's Doughnut Shop and Harrison Apartments

Time: Estimated between midnight and four A.M.

Evidence: Gouges seem to have been done by vigorous slices of unkempt claws of unknown animal, few unidentified hairs near victim

Witnesses: None

Other: When found in the alleyway, one officer thought he saw a shadow move and left behind was a few long blond hairs

I shook my head, "Who could kill a girl this age? Not exactly defenseless, but not able to fight back very well from whatever it was."

Iggy shrugged, looking troubled as he always did on a case. "Was there any signs of anything else?"

"Nope, just a ruthless murder." I handed him the set of pictures, "Look at these! She was pretty much torn apart."

Iggy grimaced at the pictures and sighed, "What about the others?" I picked up the one with the old man and began to read.

Name: Carl Greyson 

Gender: Male 

Age: Eighty Six

Cause of Death: Many gouges on body, leg torn off, thrown of building, killed on impact

Venue: Fire escape on Jamison Apartment Building

Time: Estimated between eight and nine A.M.

Evidence: Gouges seem to have been done by vigorous slices of unkempt claws of unknown animal, few dead flakes from unidentified scales

Witnesses: None

Other: Officer heard ragged breathing in alleyway when investigating

I shuddered while looking at the pictures of this man. His face looked as if it had been once filled with laugh lines, but now was swollen, bruised, bloodied and dead. "This is just unbelievable," I whispered. "I know we see a lot of stuff that goes along with out jobs but… my god, this is just terrible."

"I know, Max," Iggy muttered back. "But that's why we have our job. We'll try and catch this person as fast as we can. Now, lets just go on to the next one."

Name: Fred Jinx

Gender: Male

Age: Twenty Two

Cause of Death: Many gouges on body, one strike to heart caused immediate death

Venue: Westbound Fighters Building

Time: Midday

Evidence: Gouges seem to have been done by vigorous slices of unkempt claws of unknown animal, dried black liquid found near body and coating knife in victims hand

Witnesses: None

Other: Knife was bent as if someone was trying to jam it into a rock

"This is just too… uck," I shivered as a shoved away the pictures. "How are any of these connected?"

"Well," Iggy said thoughtfully, "Looking at their past occupations, they all worked for 'New Age Areas'. It's an old company that sent teams out to search unfound lands or islands. Say's here," He continued, typing away on his computer, "That they also ran out unwanted creatures."

"Unwanted creatures? Like, what kind of creatures?" I asked, sitting up straighter in my chair.

"Unwanted creatures. That's all it says. Doesn't say anything about what kind, or 'such as', just… unwanted creatures. But, Max, I have a feeling that they, the New Age Areas workers, were the creatures that were unwanted wherever their last stand was."


	3. Chapter Two

**Who Said Shadows Were Harmless?**

Chapter One

Max's POV

I stepped into the office, looking around the crime scene. The room was torn to bits, drawers full of paper and other various items strewn across the floor. One of them, either the killer or the victim, had been searching for something.

Iggy walked behind me, shining his flashlight around, "I'm just gonna take a guess here. The killer was looking for something, since this is how they've found every room pertaining to the victim like this, didn't find it, cornered the victim about it, and when they didn't answer… Well, we both know the rest of the story."

"Not exactly," I stated, "We're still not sure how. Either there's some raged monster out on a rampage or… well, I really can't think of any other possibilities."

"Whatever this creature was, it has a brain process enough to have a motive."

"True," I muttered, shinning my own light around. I stopped when the light crossed dents in the carpet. "Iggy, look at this!"

Iggy inspected the large footprint closely, "That's so weird. And cool. It's like a lizard foot, but definitely bigger and shaped a tad different. And, look! It looks like a large tail rested here. So freaking cool!"

I swallowed a thick lump in my throat, "Yeah, if you don't think about how it tore this guy's leg off then threw him out the window."

Iggy frowned deeply, "True."

I lifted the camera around my neck, snapping a picture of the prints. Just as I let the camera drop back against my torso, a loud crash came from behind us. Iggy and I whipped around, freezing at what we saw.

The only drawer that had still been shut and locked wasn't anymore. Instead, the drawer had been torn from its shelf, lock busted and the wood splintered across the carpet. That was all, nothing else was in it.

But that wasn't what made up freeze. What made us freeze was the growl of anger that came from a corner of the darkness and then the fast shifting of the shadows.

Then everything was still.

Iggy gulped, "I think we have everything we need from here."

"Agreed," I choked out shakily before walking swiftly towards the door.

I wasn't usually one to be scared, but something about not know what we were up against terrified me.

…

Iggy and I walked down the street, heading towards the apartment district where all the big apartment buildings were set up. We were going to check out the next crime scene.

The sun was shining in the sky, beating down on the asphalt and causing me to start fanning myself with my hand. Iggy pulled the copies of the files out of his back pocket, handing me some of them before fanning himself.

The heat reflecting off the ground made the city hotter than it should be, one of the many backfires of living here. The city already wasn't my ideal place to live, but my job required it of me.

Sure, I could live in a small town, but I don't think a serial homicide detective could get a lot of work done there. When I had moved here to finish my school work, I had met Iggy. We had gone out for a few years, slowly growing apart after our three years anniversary and silently agreeing to break up soon after.

Sure, it made things awkward when it came to new relationships (though, being a detective didn't leave a lot of room for that), but I guess that's expected when you remain best friends with your ex.

Things were getting better, though. Now, it was more as if twin siblings who had been so used to it just being them two that, bring in another, made it confusing.

Iggy and I lived in apartments right next to each other's on the other side of town, then better side of town. Iggy had moved out of the apartment we shared whenever he got his first girlfriend since we had broken up. She had lived with him for a while before she got tired of him always having to work and never being able to talk about it.

I was yanked out of my thoughts by the sound of a scream. I could barely make out 'call 911' and I was off like a bullet, Iggy following quickly.

…

The apartment was torn apart like the office had been. Automatically, I had expected to see a bloody mess like our other victims, but it wasn't. The middle aged woman was crumpled against her wall. One look at her and I could tell her lungs were punctured and all her ribs were crushed.

She looked up at me, exhaustion dead set in her eyes. And, surprisingly, happiness. I crouched beside her about to tell her that we would get help right away.

But she stopped me, "Don't lie to me. You won't be able to save this form and you know it. This form has been doomed to this ending since we stepped foot on their land. I am not dying, young woman, I am going to a separate form. A form that was hatched the moment we trespassed."

"Ma'am," Iggy asked, noticing that the woman only had a few breaths left, "Who did this to you?"

She shook her head slowly, "They're not murderers. They're searchers, avengers. I was the only one who thought that we shouldn't take it, but we did anyway. It is rightfully theirs, and they will take it back."

"Who, Miss? What are they looking for?"

She smiled, "I have a feeling I will see you two in the future. Hopefully in my other form, not another life."

The her eyes went dull and her breathing stopped, the blood leaking out of the side of her mouth dripping onto her bruised torso.

Iggy sighed, observing the area while I stood and snapped a picture of the victim for the files. "This is definitely one of ours. There are the same prints here as in the office. And we might want to add that this thing must have the strength of the hulk."

I continued to snap pictures at different places, "How do we know whatever it was didn't knock her down then kick her ribs in?"

"Because the prints stop here then turn. Whatever this was, it made a normal entrance and exit."

"But we're going off that this is a big hulking lizard creature. How could it leave normally without someone reporting it?"

"Maybe… We need for information."

I nodded, watching as the police entered the room and started taking notes after we showed them our badges. We left that to them before exiting the room and heading downstairs.

All the other apartment dwellers from the building had gathered in the main office, everyone turning towards Iggy and I was we entered. There were a few officers interviewing people, all the others who had already been questioned were gathered and chatting quietly.

We walked through the office, not getting far before a woman walked up to us.

She was about our age, her waist length pen straight dirty blond hair flowing down her back and her golden eyes running up and down Iggy's body before stopping at his eyes. She was taller than me by a few inches, still being a head shorter than Iggy.

In response to her checking him out, Iggy did the same. His eyes ran from her angular face, down her elegant neck, proud shoulders, perfect hourglass figure, and her long legs before moving back up.

"Is she really dead," she asked, her eyes turning sad and beginning to water up.

"Yes," I stated in a gentle tone, "What was her name? We didn't catch it before we headed up there."

"Angelica Smith. She was a nice woman."

Iggy got a sneaky look in his eye, "Was she a close friend of yours, Misses…?"

"_Miss_ Lupo Greyback. No, we weren't really friends at all. More of acquaintances. I lived in the apartment below hers. I don't know who could do this to her, though. She was such a kind soul. I guess these things just happen."

Iggy nodded, glancing at me. I realized what he was doing before he said anything and started to shake my head. But that didn't stop him. "Max, we can finish checking the scenes Monday, can't we?"

I sighed, "Yes, but-"

"Good." He turned back to Lupo, "Would you like to go get coffee with me? So you can tell me more about Miss Smith, of course."

She grinned, running a hand up and down her arm nervously, "Yeah. I guess it couldn't hurt."

She may have seemed harmless, but every nerve and my body was screaming at me, telling me that something as off. They walked off, leaving me to walk over to the officer in the middle of asking a young man a few questions.

"What did a Miss Greyback have to say about this?"

He checked his board, "We haven't questioned any Greyback yet."

The man pointed after the woman, "You mean her?"

"Yes, do you know anything about her? Apparently she lived in the apartment bellow Miss Smith's."

His eyebrows knitted together, "I live in the apartment under Miss Smith's. That woman has never been here before. The first time she actually stepped foot in her was only a little while earlier, right after the loud crash was heard from Miss Smith's room. I was just about to tell this cop here that there was a suspect that they should look for."

"You believe that woman," I started to ask, but he interrupted me.

"Not her, but a man who was leaving just as she entered. I had come down to complain about my sink when I saw them both come through. He glanced at her, looking kind of scared at the sight of her. She might have known him, cause she gave him this look."

"What kind of look?"

"I didn't see it. She could have just been looking at him weird because he was all dressed in black and staring at her with wide eyes. I don't think it's her you have to worry about."

"Leave the man's description with the officer, I've got to go somewhere."

I turned , walking out of the building. Everything about this case was confusing me, and Lupo had just made it even more so. I would have to tell Iggy about this, and I'm not sure if it could wait.

Maybe that man was right and she wasn't a problem, but something about her set me off. Something about her made me want to turn the other way and run.

But I was Maximum Ride. I wasn't going to run. I was going to figure this girl out before she could get Iggy wrapped around her little finger, whether she had something to do with the murders or not.


	4. Chapter Three

**A/N:** For anyone who has read my fanfics before, yes Lupo is a tad OOC. There is a reason for that.

Oh, and yes, the beginning of this story is supposed to be moving kinda fast.

**Who Said Shadows Were Harmless?**

Chapter Three

Iggy's POV

I used Lupo to close my apartment door, resting a hand on her thigh as she hooked her leg up on my hip. I felt her hands tugging at my hair as if it would help her deepen the kiss even more. My other hand stroked the skin of her abdomen right above her short jean shorts, where her black tank top had ridden up.

I broke my lips from hers, having to breath. She just continued, moving her lips along my jaw line and up to my ear. She tapped her teeth on my piercing, tugging on it slightly before moving her lips down my neck.

I lifted my hand that had trailed up the inside of her tank top to rest on the bottom edge of her rib cage, moving it to her chin to pull her lips back to mine.

She must have thought I was going to pull her away, because an inhuman growl left her throat before she lifted her other leg so that she could hook her ankles behind me.

I was too caught up in the beautiful woman in front of me to pay attention to the fact her growl had echoed, not around the room but off the shadows themselves.

I moved Lupo off the door, my hands supporting her from the back of her thighs. I dropped her onto the couch, about to climb over her when a knock sounded at my door.

I sighed, standing up straight and leaving Lupo to sulk on the couch as I answered the door. I threw it open, glaring at the person behind it before my eyes widened, "Hey, Max."

"I need to talk to you," she stated, looking past me at Lupo who had spread out in a position that didn't look like it could be comfortable. Lupo just stared back at Max, a scowl evident on her face.

"Can it wait until later?" I asked, giving her a look while nodding my head slightly towards Lupo trying to give her a hint.

Max just shook her head. I huffed, walking into the hallway before shutting my door behind me.

"What could possibly be so important that you had to interrupt me, Max?"

"It's about Lupo." I just raised my eyebrows at her, but she continued on, "She lied about living in Miss Smith's building."

"So? She probably only lied because they weren't letting people who didn't live there in at the time."

"A man witnessed her entering the building just as our now main suspect was leaving. He said that when he saw her, he looked terrified."

I shrugged, "If this suspect had anything to do with these murders, he'd probably be terrified of anyone who even made eye contact with him for fear of being caught."

Max put her hands on her hips, "What kind of woman throws herself at the co-detective in charge of a murder investigation involving an 'acquaintance' of hers?"

My jaw dropped before a smirk spread over my face, "I see what's going on here."

She gaped at me before throwing her hand towards my door, "You can't trust her!"

My eyes narrowed, "Look, Max, being jealous is one thing. But, trying to say she may have something to do with this case? That's just… childish."

Max took a few angry deep breaths before all but growling, "I'm not making this up."

I rolled my eyes, reaching behind me and wrapping my hand around the doorknob, "I'll talk to you Monday."

…

I threw the file down onto the old kitchen table. I stood there, staring at the papers in only my jeans that hung loosely on my hips. Another victim had been claimed, another who had previously been connected to that New Age Areas group.

Max had left the files under my door along with a note saying that the boss wouldn't let us come back in for today, something about a bug in the electrical system, and she had already looked over these files written up at the police station.

I felt a pair of arms wrap around my bare torso from behind, making me move my arm around Lupo's back as she pressed herself into my side. I looked down at her, seeing her standing there in only my grey short sleeved polo from yesterday. The shirt was just big enough on her to keep somewhat of her modesty, though with the lone button undone at the top showing off the large hickey I had left on her collarbone amidst the activities of the night before.

She glanced down at the papers, her eyes landing on one of the pictures. I expected her to look away, go green, grimace, do something along those lines, but her only reaction was an angry scowl. She glared at the picture for a moment before her eyes moved back up to me with a curious look, "What all have you found out?"

"Well," I started, the little thing call confidentiality never crossing my mind, "All the outside information points towards a human committing the crimes, but there are a lot of factors on the scene and the victims that leads us to believe there may be some sort of creature involved."

Fear flashed in her eyes and I could barely feel her grip on me tighten. She tried to nonchalantly swallow the lump that I could obviously tell had formed in her throat, "Like a monster?"

I nodded, wrapping her in my arms, "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

I hated to see her scared, especially since I already knew she wasn't one to be easily frightened. I didn't say anything about it, not wanting to let her know that I had noticed her slight falter.

I couldn't believe a word Max had said the day before. Lupo may be one tough chic, but there was no way in hell she could have anything to do with murders like this.

…

_The man had dozed off on the couch, leaving her the perfect chance. She moved slowly and stealthily out of his embrace and over to the window that looked down onto the street below._

_She couldn't believe He had done that, moving ahead as if she was unneeded. _

_She glared down into an alleyway, watching as a man around her age slipped into it unnoticed. He pulled his black hood over his matching hair and let his obsidian eyes swoop over every sunlit space out on the street. _

_And it hadn't just happened once, that had been proven this morning. Lupo had to get back at Him for the deliberate slip up but had decided to expand her play time, also getting them some useful information in the process._

_She chuckled, hearing the animalistic rasp travel through the shadows. So, He thought he could try and be the boss. Thought He could use her moment of relaxation to move ahead and take control. That wasn't happening._

_But she couldn't let this get in the way of their plan. She couldn't let this get in the way of what they needed._

…

I awoke to the sound of my apartment door closing. I sat up, looking around for Lupo. Instead of the gorgeous blond, a note was setting on the coffee table. 'Had to head home. Wanted to say goodbye, but I didn't want to wake you. My number should be in the book. –Lupo'

I reached for my cell phone, dialing a number, "Hello, can you give me the number to a Lupo Greyback?"

"I'm sorry, but all of the systems are down and won't be back up until Monday. Thank you for calling the-"

I hung up, sinking back into the couch. After a few minutes of convincing myself not to chase her out the door, I stood up and headed back over to the kitchen table.

The papers, which had been spread out all across the surface, were now sitting neatly in a stack. I brushed this off, also failing to notice the receipt for using the copy machine lying on the floor.


	5. Chapter Four

**Who Said Shadows Were Harmless?**

Chapter Four

Max's POV

I looked up from my place on the steps to see Iggy climbing of his motorcycle. He walked over to me, files in his hand. A smirk was plastered onto his face while a now-fading hickey sat on his neck, right under her jaw line.

I ignored this, talking as soon as he took a seat next to me, "I think he's trying to throw us off."

"Who?" Iggy asked, absentmindedly pulling at his earring.

"The main suspect. He's a Caucasian male, early twenties, black hair, black eyes, olive toned, and in all sightings he is wearing all black. I think he's leaving things behind purposefully to make us think it's some sort of creature."

"Could be a possibility. We'd spend all our time trying to figure out what it was while he just continued on his merry way."

"Motive is what I'm confused about. I mean, why would he have a problem with the New Age Areas?"

"Most murderers are crazy, Max. They could have lessened his pay, fired him, not let him join in the first place."

"But I checked the database, there was no man with this description that had anything to do in the business."

He sighed, "Let's just go check the latest scene and see if we come up with anything that will help."

I nodded, looking at him as his eyes scraped over the street as if he was searching for someone. I just shook my head, "Did she give you her number?"

"She said it should be in the system. I haven't been able to call them yet, though."

I nodded, not looking him in the eye.

…

We were nearing the apartment building when someone nonchalantly began to walk beside me, whispering as they did so, "That dude I told you I saw just went around a corner a few seconds ago behind us."

The sidewalks weren't as crowded as they usually were, lucky for Iggy and I as we automatically turned around and continued to walk at a regular pace.

And then he came out of an alleyway, about to slip his hood over his hair when our eyes made contact. He froze as my hand slowly twitched towards my gun. Then he was off, barreling down the street away from us.

Iggy bolted after him, giving me the signal to find a way to cut the suspect off.

I did so, slipping down the alleyway he had come out of and traveling through the slim back road. I continued, expecting him to dash into my path at any moment. I jumped over a garbage can that was laying in my path, then something slammed into my side.

I crashed into a dumpster, shock causing me to lay there for a few seconds before standing and looking around me.

There was no one there.

…

Iggy was catching up quickly, but not because he was faster. The suspect seemed to be slowing before jetting into an especially dark alley. Iggy followed, skidding to a stop as his heart leapt to his throat.

Standing in the shadows was a reptilian creature at least a foot taller than Iggy. Its shinning grey-black scales varied in size, jutting in gill like flaps at the back of its animalistic head. The fist sized pure black eyes stared at Iggy with amusements as its snout moved with every breath. Two long fangs jutted down from its mouth, one with a crack running down the side of it.

The head and muzzle were the size of a horse's, a tough neck leading down to broad shoulders. Something shiny caught Iggy's eye, that being a silver heart necklace hanging from around the creature's neck. It looked familiar, but Iggy could barely focus on breathing as he continued to take in this… monster.

Its large tale thumped on the concrete, seeming to fade into the shadows before twitching once more. The pointed claws of its feet tapped on the ground before the creature did something that made Iggy's lungs forget how to work.

The creature threw its head back, letting out a gravely laugh before looking back at Iggy and speaking in an echoing deep voice, "You want to fight me, cupcake?"

Iggy's instincts all hit at once, making him pull out his pistol and set off a round towards the creature.

Only to watch the bullets ricochet off his chest like he was superman.

…

I glanced down every alleyway I passed, ignoring the feeling in my gut that someone was following me. I picked up the speed, skidding to a stop when I saw Iggy.

He was lying on the ground, bruised up a bit and not moving. He glanced at me, his eyes willing me to walk away. I ignored this, coming closer to him.

Only to be throw over someone's scaly shoulder. I placed my hands flat on the things back, feeling the smooth yet steely scales twitch as it walked over to Iggy. The thing grabbed Iggy's leg, dragging him slightly before something happened that made my stomach drop.

The alleyway around us fizzled away and we were left in total black before the world began to rebuild itself around us once more. We were in the shadows of a large tree that was part of a forest, right on the edge of a clearing. The creature took a few steps in the shadows before I felt him shift beneath me.

It wasn't even as if he shrank or grew, but more like he was the creature and then he just… wasn't. Like he was both the creature and the man, but you could only see and feel which one he wanted you to.

The suspect dropped me off my shoulder near Iggy, both of us beside what looked like an old place to tie horses. The suspect tied us to it, his calloused fist yanking hard on the ropes to keep us in place.

He stood back, pulling off his jacket to leave him in his black muscle tank. And I, being the single woman I was, had to force myself not to stare at his sculpted muscles.

"No," I heard Iggy whisper, sounding as if something had just punched him in the gut. I looked past the suspect, my eyes widening as someone pushed through the tree line.

There, with her long dirty blond hair pulled back into a tight ponytail and golden eyes amused, was Lupo Greyback.


	6. Chapter Five

**Who Said Shadow Were Harmless?**

Chapter Five

Iggy's POV

I felt as if someone had struck my heart, watching as Lupo walked closer. The suspect was now standing to the side, watching as she approached. I had only met her on Friday. All we had was one night. Any other guy would have never felt a thing for her.

Yet, here I was, feeling as if she had just stabbed me through the chest.

Lupo walked over, stopping when she stood in front of the suspect. Then, in no more than a few seconds, she had turned, slapped him as hard as she could, grabbed his shoulders, forced him to his knees, and used the palm of her hand to force his head back.

The suspect's eyes were wide and frightened, staring up at her as if he couldn't guess her next move. The bruise on his cheek was disappearing as fast as it had formed and his breathing was quick as his obsidian eyes never left her golden ones.

"What were you thinking, you moronic bastard?" Lupo snarled. "Did you think you could leave me behind? I didn't have to bring you with me. But you begged. You didn't want to be left with nothing to do to make things better. Did you even question them? Did you even search every corner? You don't think I'm doing my job fast enough? Then why did you hire me in the first place? You know I can get the job done."

He nodded slightly, barely moving his head. She took a deep breath, this seeming to calm her. She removed her hand and turned back to Max and I as the suspect got back to his feet.

Lupo looked off into the distance, as if thinking hard. Then she turned back to the suspect, "Fang, go back to Miss Smith's place and check again, I think she might have left a clue."

"What makes you think that?" the suspect, or Fang apparently, asked.

"Just go," she said, rubbing her shoulders and closing her eyes as if exasperated with the whole situation.

Fang pointed towards us, "What about them?"

"You have their sent. If they enter the shadows, come back. I bet you can move faster than they can."

Fang nodded, walking out of the grassy clearing to disappear into the shadows surrounding us.

Lupo opened her eyes slowly, letting them land on Max before she started to move closer. My breath caught in my throat as she yanked out a jackknife, only to slowly blow out when all she did was cut the ropes. "You two can't get anywhere, so why tie you down?"

Max looked at her for a few seconds, thinking about her question before she asked it, "How long are we going to stay here?"

Lupo's leadership aura she had when she first appeared had disappeared, leaving her to just look exhausted, "At least for tonight."

"Where will we sleep?" Max asked, not moving as Lupo sat crisscross in the grass a few feet in front of us.

"Fang should bring back some sleeping bags or maybe a tent or two."

Max nodded slowly, "I would ask you why you're murdering people and what they hell that thing 'Fang' was, but I think I'm going to leave that to you two."

With that, she stood up, moving across the large clearing to the large boulder just out of hearing range and looking out into the forest. Lupo watched her go before turning back to me, her eyes going from tired to playful and teasing, "What's that look for, Iggy? You look as if you can't believe your eyes."

"You played me," I accused, my eyes narrowing at her.

She just smirked, "Couldn't help it, you're just too cute. For a human boy, at least."

"I'm not a boy, I'm a man," I said, wishing I hadn't when I realized how childish that was.

She hummed deep in the back of her throat, moving closer to me, "Yeah, I know that."

I wanted to run away from her, move out of her reach as she crawled onto my lap as I leaned against the post. I had to get answers. "Why are you guys doing this?" I asked, trying to ignore her teeth nibbling at my neck.

"That's for us to know and you to do nothing about," she whispered, moving up to my ear.

"What are you going to do with us?" I held back a gasp as her cold fingers sneaked under my shirt.

"We'll probably just take you with us. You're both smart enough, you may be able to help." Her lips traced my jaw line.

"What if we don't want to help you?"

She pulled back from me too look me dead in the eyes with a smirk on her face, "What if you don't have a choice?"

…

I didn't know what to say, so, like any well-minded male would do, I tried to get away from her. But, one push, and I couldn't do it. The exhausted combined with the 'I don't want to do this now' look and I just couldn't.

Now, I was lying in a soft spot on the grass, Lupo tucked into my side as I laid there stiff as a board. My heart was aching for me to relax and just hold her, but what kind of monstrous duties she had been involved in scared me into not moving.

After lying like that four at least an hour, Lupo snoring softly, I heard the crunch of twigs. Lupo's eyes shot open before slowly closing again, probably because she knew that the new arrival was Fang.

The black haired boy walked into the clear, various camping supplies in his arms, and looked around. His eyes landed on me and Lupo and a smirk crossed his face, "Lups, why you getting all cuddly with cupcake?"

She just grunted, snuggling even closer to me. Fang eyed us closer, noticing that I was frozen in place. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"I got sleeping bags and two tents. I also picked up some food. I hope you and the chick like KFC."

Fang set everything down and opened one of the many chicken buckets. The next thing I knew, Lupo wasn't beside me anymore. Instead, she was sitting beside Fang and pulling the legs out of the buckets.

I stood up, walking over and grabbing one of the four buckets and placing it in my lap. I watched as Max yawned and sat beside me, pulling the last bucket over sleepily. She must have gotten herself some sleep sitting atop that boulder.

Fang finished up his second piece, reaching for the mashed potatoes and gravy that came with his. As he reached into the middle of our loosely formed circle, the silver heart necklace I had seen earlier falling out from under the top edge of his muscle tank.

Max's eyes narrowed, "Where'd you find that?"

Fang looked down at it while opening the small plastic bag his fork came in, "I found it at Sanders' place when I went back to recheck."

"Why did you keep it?" Max seemed confused, giving Fang the suspicious look she had kept on her face all day.

He shrugged, "The scent, I guess. Since I was in my other form, I picked up on some smell."

Lupo smirked, "You forgot the part about it being 'intoxicating'."

I scrunched up my nose, "Great, not only are you a murdering monster, but you're also attracted to fourteen year olds."

Fang looked confused before a disgusted look crossed his face, "Hell no. The smell was out of place in the room, so it couldn't have been hers."

"Nope," Max stated, "Cause it's mine."


	7. Chapter Six

**Who Said Shadows Were Harmless?**

Chapter Six

Max's POV

Fang stared at me, seeming unsure how to react. Then he turned back to his mashed potatoes like nothing happened, shoveling a forkful into his mouth.

I raised my eyebrows, continuing to watch him. After a few more moments, I decided to speak up, "Are you going to give it back?"

Fang froze in his place, fork halfway in his mouth. His eyes slowly shifted to me before he brought the fork away. He pulled the necklace out to look at the heart before shaking his head.

The sudden silence confused me. Even if he was a murderer, he seemed like the kind to joke around. "But it's mine. It's the locket I kept my family picture in."

His eyes went slightly wide and he slipped the locket under his shirt, quickly stuffing more food into his mouth.

My jaw dropped, "You got rid of the picture, didn't you? Did you even replace it with another one, or just didn't want to look at a happy family? Apparently you don't, considering you took a little girl away from hers!"

I hadn't realized my voice had risen, but I didn't care that I was yelling. That was until I noticed the angered and hurt look on Fang's face.

Why should I care? He was a murderer, a killer.

Fang grabbed his food stalking off and setting up one of the tents quickly before entering it. Lupo shook her head at me, standing up with her food also and heading over to the tent. Just as she reached the entrance, she called back, "Remember, we're always watching."

We sat there for a few moments, silent under the sunset filled sky, until Iggy looked at me, "Well, if that's not frightening, I don't know what is."

…

I awoke in a tent, lying beside Iggy with an arm thrown over my face. Looking out of the opening, I realized it was too early for any normal person. The sun had just risen over the edge of a hill off into the distance, making me wonder where we had been taken.

I climbed out of the tent, being as quiet as possible as I stood in the clearing. We had put our tent as far away from the other one as we could. You know, privacy issues.

Just as I was about to look through the other food Fang had picked up, I got an idea.

I didn't stop, knowing I would lose all bravery against these two that I had. I moved over to the entrance of their tent, a small relief coming when I noticed they hadn't zipped up the entrance.

I moved into it silently, looking down at their sleeping forms.

Fang was stretched out on his back, one arm falling against his torso and the other stretched above his head. Lupo was curled into a tight ball, pressed against his side with her face buried into his chest.

It was too easy. The necklace had fallen out of his shirt again and, with the clasp moved towards the front, it would be simple to take it off.

I crouched down beside him, moving my shaking fingers slowly as I undid the clasp and slipped the chain from around his neck.

He didn't move. I grinned, turning to leave when I stopped. Curiosity got the better of me and I opened the locket.

Sitting inside was a black and white photo of four people. The eldest was a man who looked exactly like Fang, only older with a grey crown sitting atop his head. Beside him was a woman with long straight black hair, a gorgeous smile, and the same dark eyes as her husband.

Then there were the two younger ones. One was obviously Fang, maybe at the age of seventeen or eighteen. The other, looking much like her mother, was a girl. She couldn't have been more than eleven at the time. But she wasn't looking at the camera, she was looking up at her brother with a look in her eyes.

A look of admiration.

I gasped, slamming the locket shut in my hand as a scaly grip tightened around my arm and the scenery shifted around me.

Fang, in his full reptilian form, and I were standing in the forest, me looking up at him in shock. He growled, ripping the locket from my hand.

I glared, "It's my locket. It was never yours in the first place. It belongs to me."

He just chuckled, "Yeah, cause that's going to make me give it back."

"You should. Come on, you kidnapped me and my friend, you've taken away lives, the least you could do is give me back my locket."

He shifted, Fang phasing through once more. And as that gorgeous (what the hell, brain?) face looked at me with amusement, I realized just how close we were. "What if I don't want to?"

His breath smelt oddly of mint, telling me that he had either bought a toothbrush or mints yesterday, and chocolate. I wanted to back away from him, wanted to get away from this murdering stealing bastard.

But every fiber in my body was aching for me to not move. Or, if I did, to move closer. I swallowed this urge, wondering desperately why it was running so strongly through me.

Why was I suddenly attracted to this beast? To this killer? Why did I, the first time I had ever been this close to him like this, feel the need to get closer?

He was a murderer (have I mentioned that before?). He took people's lives away from them. He took children from their parents. He took lovers away from those who loved them.

And, now, as I thought of all those things, my gut was screaming at me.

Not to get away.

Not to make sure he never saw the light of day again.

But to open my eyes and see that none of this was true.


	8. Chapter Do It

**Hey, readers, a little news here: I'm not even thinking about writing another chapter for this until every single one of you goes to my fanfic Reunited, skip to the latest chapter, and vote on the poll I have information up about on there. Or, if you don't want to go find the fanfic and skip to the last chapter, you can just go to the poll at the top of my page (MPHknows, if you didn't know) and choose which ever sounds more like the title of a story you'd read.**

**Go. Go do it. Because I'm not even opening another word document until I have more votes.**

**You know, click on the blue words after Author:**

**You know you want to!1**

**HEY! I still need more. It's a tie right now (i know the poll doesnt show it, but it is)! Just because your favorite may look like its winning doesnt mean it is winning.**


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